Washing machine transmission



Aug. 19, 1947. R. E. BAYSSETT, JR 2,426,073

WASHING MACHINE TRANSMISS ION Original Filed Jan. 27, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. REX EHRL BnssErT, JR.

ATTORNEY 1947- R. E. BASSETT, JR 2,426,078

WASHING MACHINE TRANSMISSION- Original Filed Jan. 27, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F .2 En fem E/S'SSE Tu:

Aug. 19, 1947. R. E. BASSETT, JR 2,426,073

WASHING MACHINE TRANSMISSION Original FiledJan. 27, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR; REA EHRL 5/155: 77IJE'.

Patente d Au 19, 1947 V WASHING TRANSMISSION Rex Earl Bassett, Jr., Miami Beach, Fla., assignor, by mesne assignments, to American Machine and Metals, Inc., East Moline, 111., a corporation of Delaware Original application January 27, 1939, Serial No.

253,038. Divided and this 1944, Serial No. 541,77 6

This invention relates to washing machines and particularly transmission mechanism for automatic washing machines.

This application is a division of my co-pending' application Serial Nob-253,038 filed January 2'7, 1939. V

An object of the invention is to simplify the transmission mechanism, and to provide a transmission mechanisin of the type which is particularly adapted to be located on the end wall of the tub, where it is directly connected selectively at different speeds to the rotor of the machine.

The above and other objects and features of the invention, including various novel combinations and desirable particular constructions, will be apparent from the following description of the illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a vertical section through the'washw ing machine;

Figure 2 is a partial horizontal section through 2 Claims. (01. 74-368) the washing machine on the line 22 of Figure 1;

, Figure 3 isa wiring diagram; and

Figure 4 is a cycle diagram.

The washing machine of Figure 1, except as hereinafter described in connection with Figure 2,

. may be substantially of the construction and have substantially the method of operation described in -'United States Patent No. 2,165,884, issued July 11, 1939, to me jointly with John W. Chamberlin, with the modifications described in United States Patent No. 2,173,603, issued September 19, 1939, to Adiel Y. Dodge.

The washing machine illustrated in Figure 1 includes a cylindrical tub ill arranged with its axis horizontal, and having an opening 'in its front side provided with a door i2 for the introduction of the clothes to be washed. The tub I0 contains a perforated drum or cylindrical clothes container or rotor it, formed with suitable ribs or baiiies and having an opening registering with the door i2, and which is carried by a short drive shaft i6 extending outwardly from its end and journaled in bearings carried in a transmission housing I! which in turn is carried by diverging stampings or similar spaced members i8 and 20 forming the rear wall of the tub Ill. The entrance of the shaft l 6 to the transmission housing I1 is preferably sealed against the passage of oil l and water by a suitable seal l9 (Fig. 2).

The tub I0 is mounted on supports such as saddles 22 resting on a base 24, and is preferably secured to the saddles by steel straps 23 fastened at opposite sides of the saddles and passing over application June 23,

. 2 a o the tub. The machine may be enclosed in a cabinet 25, formed of suitable steel panels.

Hot and cold water are supplied to the machine through conduits,2 8, one behind the other in Figure 1, controlled by valves 30, one behind the other inFigure l, actuated by solenoids 32, one behind the other in Fi ure 1, the mixed water from the twoinlet valves 30 being carriedby a conduit 36, to an inlet nozzle 38 at the edge of the door" i2. The cold water line solenoid 34 prefer-. ably has arranged in series therewith a thermostatic switch 40, so that when waterat a predetermined temperature is desired, sufficient cold watervis injected to lower the inlet water temperature. 1

If desired, a manually operable switch 42 may be provided to connect when desired, as for ex ample when washing woolens, the cold water solenoid circuit with the hot water circuit so that the cold water circuit will always be closed through the thermostatic switch 49 whenever the hot water is turned on, thereby limiting the maximum temperature of the water in the'machine.

The machine is provided witha'door 44 for introis provided with a pulley driven by a belt 62 from a pulley 66 on the armature shaft of an electric motor 68. The armature shaft of the motor 68 preferably projects from the opposite end of the motor andis connected at that end to drive the pump 50,.which may be-mounted directly on the motor. The motor and pump may be provided with lateral arms 10 pivoted on a fixed shaft 12 carried by the saddles 22, so that the weight of the motor tensions the belt 62.

Referring now'to Figure 2, the transmission casing. lTis preferably provided on its front face with a pad 14 annularly surrounding the shaft Ii andadap'ted to have the stamping l8 secured thereto by suitable fastenings such as screws or the like. Adjacent the rear face of the transmission casing-"l7 is provided an annular flange 16 which is adapted to have secured thereto in a similar manner the stamping 20. The rear face of the transmission housing i1 is closed, by a' ings Il-and 20 converge finto annular contact at their peripheries and are joined to the tub by a V-section clamping ringv 11 adapted to draw the stampings into close contact with a radial flange I formed on the tub. A suitable rubber gasket (not shown) may be used to form a watertight joint here.

The shaft I is journaled in the transmission housing- I 'l'by means of a pair of ball bearings 50 and I2 seated in coaxially arranged bosses formed in the transmission housing cover and the housing proper respectively. 1

The pulley BI is formed integrally with a sleeve 04 projecting into the transmission housing I! in spaced parallel relation to the shaft I5 and rotatably mounted in the transmission housing cover on a. ball bearing 50. Withinthe transmission:

Coaxially mounted within the sleeve 54 is a.

shaft 94 having one end projecting from said sleeve within the transmission housing I! and journaled in a boss 98 formed in said transmission housing, and having its other end projecting externally of the transmission housing I! through The gears 55 and 90 form a low and which can be operated manually, as permitted a suitable oil seal 95-, On this other end of the shaft 94 is secured a clutch plate I05 having a suitable friction face I02 adapted to engage a clutch surface I04 formed on the pulley '0. The clearance between the clutch facing I02 and clutch surface I04 may be adjusted by means of a pair of lock nuts I04 threaded on a reduced portion I05 of the shaft 94.

A high speed pinion H0 is keyed to the shaft 94 within the transmission housing I! intermediate the end of the sleeve 04 and the boss 95. The high speed pinion H0 is in mesh with a high speed gear II2 keyed to the shaft I5, and these gears IIO and H2 form a high speed drive for the shaft I5 when the clutch I00--I 04 is engaged. when the shaft I5 is operated at high speed it over-runs the low speed gear 90 by means of the one-way clutch 52.

The clutch I00I04 is arranged to be engaged by an axial thrust to theright exerted on the shaft 54 by a thrust bearing II4 which is'engaged by a roller IIB on one arm of a bell crank lever III. The bell crank lever II! is pivoted on a bracket I20 secured to the wall'of the transmission casing I1 and its other arm extends outside of the transmission casing I! through a slot I20 which may be sealed by a rubber cup I22. A solenoid I24 secured to the flange I8 is provided with a plunger I26 secured by means of 'a spring I28 to the said other arm of the bell crank lever The motor connections and the solenoids 52.

34, 4t and I24 are controlled by a motor driven drive device I", a shaft Ill. The shaft Ill :carries an indicator I40 which travels over a suitable dial onthe'front panel of the machine by the one-way drive device I", to advance the shaft in to shorten one or more of'the steps of the washing and drying cycle.

The shaft I40 carries a series of control cams I42, I44, I45, I45 and I50. The cams operate as described in }my aforementioned Patent No. 2,176,195 to open and close contacts I 52 to control circuits through the motors II and I52 jointly. and the solenoids 52, 34, 48 and I24 respectively between a conductor bar I 54 connected to one line I58 of a source of supply of electric current, to

the opposite line I50 of the current supply. Y

It will be noted that the circuits through the solenoids 52fand 34 are connected to the line Ill through the float switch 58. Also connected through the float switch is the circuit through the clutch operating solenoid I24, thus making it impossible for the drum I4 to be operated at high speed unless the water has been drained out of the machine and the float switch 58 closed, The motor circuits and the drain solenoid circuit are connected directly to the line I 55.

In operation of the machine, the indicator member I40 is turned slightly by the operator. after the machine has been filled with clothes to be washed and the door I2 has been closed, to actuate the cam I42 to close a circuit from the line I56 through the conductor bar I54, contacts I52 and the-switch motor I32. Thereupon the switch motor I 32'drives the shaft I35 at a constant speed to cause the machine to carry out the cycle of washing and rinsing and drying for which the cams I42I50 are designed. This may be the cycle shown in Figure 4 (read clockwise), or any desired modification of that cycle, the exact sequence and duration of the various steps of the cycle being determined by the shapes of the various cams.

In the cycle diagram of Figure 4 the crosshatchedsegments indicate periods in which the respective motors and solenoids are energized, and it is believed that it will be readily understood how the machine, with my novel arrangements and constructions, carries out successfully the operations of (l) filling the tub with a predetermined quantity of warm water, soaking the clothes while tumbling them in the tub and then draining the water from the tub; (2) stopping the machine so that soap may be added and the machine manually restarted; (3) filling the tub again and tumbling the clothes at low speed for a period of time determined by the manual advancing of the shaft I35 by the indicator knob I40; (4) draining out the wash water and spraying rinse water over the clothes to flush out scum; (5) tumbling the clothes without water in the tub to distribute them evenly around the peri- (8) a second drain and flush; (9) a second distribution; and (10) a complete extraction after which the machine stops with the clothes in condition for final drying by evaporation and ironing.

I". The switch Ill may- While only one embodiment of my invention has been described in detail, it is not my intention to limit the scope of the invention to that particular arrangement or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A transmission comprising a main shaft, a rigid metal housing for thetransmission having bearings in which said shaft is mounted, a second shaft extending across said housing parallel to the first said shaft and having spaced bearings in said housing, drive means on said second shaft outside said housing, gears within said housing for driving the first shaft from the second shaft, two conical support members surrounding said housing, the said rigid housing being firmly attached at its ends to each-of said conical members and serving rigidly to connect them together interiorly'of their peripheries, whereby the said conical members and their support form sturdy torque resisting members for withstanding the torque reaction of said second shaft, gears and first shaft.

2. A transmission substantially as described, comprising a housing, a shaft having an end portion extendin from said housing, spaced bearings in said housing supporting said shaft inside said housing, gearing inside said housing for driving said shaft, 3. drive pulley outside said housing, a

first mentioned.

REX EARL BASSETT, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1 1,480,483 Weilding Jan. 8, 1924 2,130,855 Oliver Sept. 20, 1938 2,178,712 Whitney Nov. 7, 1939 2,191,628 Scott, et al Feb. 27, 1940 2,343,742 Breckenridge Mar. .7, 1944 2,356,818 Bruckman Aug. 29, 1944 A FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain May 22, 1928 

